(A/N: I would like to
give a special shout-out to Strike To Incinerate for assisting me in
thinking up a mental image for the setting in this one-shot. Go read
her Virtua Fighter stuff, she kicks butt.)

Ghost of A
Smile

By Space
Toaster

He never ended up
calling her. Everyday, it was either he forgot or he didn't feel
like it. Either way, they didn't see each other for two weeks. That
is, until Goh got bored and decided to meander down to the club again
for a drink. It wasn't like he at much to do at home anyway, unless
the J6 had an assignment for him, which they didn't. So here he was
with more free time then he knew what to do with. Getting into the
club was the same old process, glare you way in, weave through the
crowd, random alcoholic drink no ice. It was when a familiar petite
girl took a seat next to him that he thought he was experiencing déjà
vu.

"Ruri?"

She
turned her head, and smiled. "Hey..."

Awkward silence. What
DO you say to the person you slept with twenty minutes after meeting
them in a club two weeks ago?

"Um…so…" Ruri
racked her brain for something to talk around and came up with
nothing. As if the Powers That Be detected this awkward moment, her
cell vibrated in her pocket.

"Sorry, excuse me." She
turned away from him and covered her other ear so she could hear who
she was talking to. "Hello? …Yeah, sorry, you're going to have
to talk louder. What? …No, I'm not in a brothel! It's just a
club…dammit, I'm 23, stop checking up on me!" She snapped the
phone shut. Goh raised an eyebrow as she turned back around.

"Ugh…sorry."

"…What
was that about?"

She shook her head.
"Long story."

"I have the time."

Ruri sighed.
"Basically, my mother disapproves of everything I do, because I'm
not like my older sister. Apparently I'm a delinquent because I
want to be a photographer rather then meet a 'nice boy', get
married, and squeeze out babies. …Sorry, I'm rambling…"

Goh shrugged to show it
didn't bother him.

"What about you?"

His jaw tightened
remembering it. He never knew his mother…and it only hurt more when
he found out about his father's murder. And the man who did it was
their friend, too... the bastard.

Ruri cringed. "That
bad, huh?"

"You could say that." He answered grimly. She
figured it was a good idea not to press the subject.

The rest
of their time at the bar was for the most part uneventful. They had a
few more drinks, talked, and avoided the dance floor. Ruri was
beginning to get tipsy and Goh was getting a headache from the
thumping music.

"My place is just a block from here, if you
want to go somewhere more quiet…" She suggested, sliding off her
seat.

"Sure…"

They
paid for their drinks and weaved their way back through the crowd to
get back onto the street. She lead him down one block to a small
apartment building were she lead them to the top floor. Her apartment
was a lot smaller then his, and cluttered. There was a coffee table
strewn with folders and some photographs, a slightly untidy
bookshelf, and from where he was standing, he saw a bedroom with an
unmade bed and a messy desk.

"Sorry about the mess…"
Ruri was blushing she unzipped her boots. "Otherwise, I wouldn't
be able to find anything…"

"Organized chaos."

"Exactly. I'll be right back, make yourself at home."
She nodded, padding off into her room for a moment. Goh took a seat
on the sofa, just then noticing an overweight black cat curled up on
the cushion next to him. The cat opened its eyes, yawned, and eyed
Goh with a look that said 'Who the hell are YOU?' He ignored the
bloated feline and turned his attention to the photos on the coffee
table, picking one up at random. It was a girl with bright green
hair, lunging at the camera with a mildly psychotic look on her face.

"Oh, that's my friend Jun…"

Goh jumped slightly and
looked up at Ruri. She had let her hair down.

"I take it
she doesn't like having her picture taken?" Goh tossed the
picture back onto the table.

"Exactly." She removed her
overfed cat and took a seat next to him. He didn't blame Jun, he
was never a fan of cameras either. It came with his line of work. You
get your picture taken, you could be identified, and if you're
identified, you're dead. He didn't even like using them.

"Can I take your
picture?" She asked, holding up a camera, one of those Instant
Polaroid ones.

"I'm, uh, not what many would call
photogenic."

"Oh, okay." She nodded, taking the hint.

Another awkward silence ensued. Goh ran a hand through his
hair and let it fall back to his side…where it rested on Ruri's
hand. Rather then being embarrassed, she regarded it curiously.

"Is it me, or are
your hands always cold?"

He brought his hand up
to rest it on the side of her neck where she shuddered softly. His
hand drifted up to rest on her cheek. Her breath caught in her throat
as he brushed his thumb over her lips.

"I know how we can
warm them up…" He smirked, leaning in to bite the side of her
neck. She giggled softly and climbed into his lap, where their lips
met. It was a deep kiss with that familiar taste of lollipops and
alcohol. Hands drifted under articles of clothing while things not
meant for public consumption were purred into ears. They ended up
curled up on her bed, drunk on kisses and half-dressed. Some time
after Goh sat up and started to button his shirt.

"I can't
stay, I have work tomorrow..."

Ruri nodded sleepily.
"All right…well, I'll see you around then, I guess."

She was probably too
tired to hide the disappointment in her tone. He sighed and leaned
down to kiss her one more time.

"Good night." She
muttered against his lips.

"Good night…" He took his
jacket off the floor and left her to sleep, closing her bedroom door
behind him. On his way out, he spotted the camera she held up
earlier. He picked it up, staring at it for a while.

"…Ah,
what the hell."

In the morning Ruri found on her coffee
table a Polaroid photo. It was Goh, and judging by the positioning he
was holding the camera at arm's length. He squinted slightly from
the flash, but if Ruri looked close enough, she would see at the
corners of his mouth, a ghost of a smile.

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